ESL teachers can face many problems and one of them is trying to capture the students' attention. This can be particularly troublesome in elementary school situations, where students simply have no motivation to learn. The only reason they are there is that their parents make them go, or the government requires them to take English lessons.

This doesn't make for a very easy time for teachers.

However, when you frequently use elementary ESL games in your classroom, you'll find that your students are more engaged and have a more positive experience when learning.

Of course, the choice is up to you, but here are some great reasons for including elementary ESL games as part of your curriculum:

It makes your lessons fun. Nobody wants to get a reputation as "the boring teacher". We all want to think that students like us and enjoy coming to our classes. A good selection of fun games makes you "the fun teacher".

It's a sharp contrast to their normal learning environment. Many learning situations involve the teacher lecturing the students. This does not make for an interactive environment. Games, on the other hand, give students more of an opportunity to interact with the teacher and with each other.

Kids don't realize they're learning. Most students don't care about learning on a conscious level. They'd rather be having fun. In many cases, ESL students are taking their English lessons as part of an after school program. To them, you are cutting into their play time and replacing it with something more boring. However, if you turn your lesson into play time, the students don't realize that they are learning valuable skills.

It's a great way to reinforce knowledge. It would be very difficult to sit for an hour with students and have them repeat vocabulary after you. This is far from fun and doesn't accurately demonstrate their knowledge. ESL games present a great way to practice the concepts that you just taught

It helps them practice fast recall. When students are playing games, there is more at stake in quickly and accurately recalling information. This helps them to think on their toes, which is important for dealing with real-life situations where they may speak English.

As an elementary school ESL teacher, it's hard to find a balance between creating a fun, positive learning environment and actually teaching students to speak English. Elementary ESL games will help put you on the right track.

Shannon Tani has experience teaching ESL to kids in Japan. She runs the informational website Teach ESL to Kids http://www.teach-esl-to-kids.com/

If you need game ideas for your ESL lessons, check out the Elementary ESL Games portion of the site http://www.teach-esl-to-kids.com/esl-games.html